Joss Whedon supports Kerry. Oh, and won't direct X3.

Joss Whedon talked to fans at High Stakes 2004, a John Kerry fund-raising event, where he said he wouldn't be writing or directing X-Men 3, Sci Fi Wire reports. "I did promise I would say whether or not I'm going to be directing the third X-Men movie, and the answer is, I'm sorry to say, no," Whedon said. "Quite frankly, I thought about it for a long time, I looked into my heart, and I realized that Fox didn't ask me to," he added, with tongue in cheek. Whedon added, "Ultimately, the fact that I'm writing the X-Men every month in the Astonishing X-Men and that I have the best artists in comic books working with me is getting my 'X' fix on just fine. I'm writing a screenply of my own right now, and it'll be nice to work on something that wasn't created by me or anybody else many years ago."

True Courtroom Quotes

From a little book called "Disorder in the Court."


Q: What is your date of birth?
A: July fifteenth.
Q: What year?
A: Every year.


Q: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
A: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.


Q: This myasthenia gravis-does it affect your memory at all?
A: Yes.
Q: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
A: I forget.
Q: You forget. Can you give us an example of something that you've forgotten?


Q: How old is your son - the one living with you.
A: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
Q: How long has he lived with you?
A: Forty-five years.


Q: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in the voodoo or occult?
A: We both do.
Q: Voodoo?
A: We do.
Q: You do?
A: Yes, voodoo.


Q: Trooper, when you stopped the defendant, were your red and blue lights flashing?
A: Yes.
Q: Did the defendant say anything when she got out of her car?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: What did she say?
A: What disco am I at?


Q: Did he kill you?


Q: How many times have you committed suicide?


Q: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
A: Yes.
Q: And what were you doing at that time?


Q: All your responses must be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
A: Oral.


Q: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
A: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
Q: And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time?
A: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy.


Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for blood pressure?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for breathing?
A: No.
Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
A: No.
Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
Q: But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless?
A: It is possible that he could have been alive and practising law somewhere.


LAWYER: So, after the anaesthetic, when you came out of it, what did you observe with respect to your scalp?
WITNESS: I didn't see my scalp the whole time I was in the hospital.
LAWYER: It was covered?
WITNESS: Yes. Bandaged.
LAWYER: Then, later on, what did you see?
WITNESS: I had a skin graft. My whole buttocks and leg were removed and put on top of my head.


LAWYER: On the morning of July 25th, did you walk from the farmhouse down the footpath to the cowshed?
WITNESS: I did.
LAWYER: And as a result, you passed within a few yards of the duck pond?
WITNESS: I did.
LAWYER: And did you observe anything?
WITNESS: I did. (Witness remains silent.)
LAWYER: Well, could you tell the Court what you saw?
WITNESS: I saw George.
LAWYER: You saw George *******, the defendant in this case?
WITNESS: Yes.
LAWYER: Can you tell the Court what George ******* was doing?
WITNESS: Yes. (Witness remains silent.)
LAWYER: Well, would you kindly do so?
WITNESS: He had his thing stuck into one of the ducks.
LAWYER: His "thing"?
WITNESS: You know... His thing. His di... I mean, his penis.
LAWYER: You passed close by the duck pond, the light was good, you were sober, you have good eyesight, and you saw this clearly?
WITNESS: Yes.
LAWYER: Did you say anything to him?
WITNESS: Of course I did!
LAWYER: What did you say to him?
WITNESS: "Morning, George"

Broadcasting legend John Peel dies aged 65

John Peel, the veteran DJ who discovered dozens of major bands during a broadcasting career spanning 40 years, has died after suffering a heart attack.

Peel, who was 65, was taken ill during a working holiday with his wife, Sheila, in the city of Cuzco, Peru, and never recovered.

As a tribute to Peel, the first record Radio 1 played after his death was announced on Newsbeat at lunchtime today, was The Undertones' Teenage Kicks, one of the DJ's favourite songs.

This was followed by tracks from the White Stripes and the Strokes - two other artists from the recent revival in guitar-based indie music that Peel was very much associated with.

Prime Minister Tony Blair described Peel as "an extraordinary and unique personality".

"He unearthed different sounds and people and made them accessible and popular... he was a genuine one off - and a warm and decent human being too."

Peel joined Radio 1 at the launch in 1967, and established himself with the late night programme Top Gear.

He became one of the first DJs to give exposure to punk, reggae and hip-hop, before they crossed over into the mainstream.

Peel's programme built up a reputation around the world, and in addition to his Radio 1 programme, he could also be heard on the BBC's World Service.

Siouxsie Sioux was a guest DJ on the show last Wednesday when he was on holiday as was Robert Smith, the lead singer of the Cure, a band Peel also championed in the late 70s.

Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker said: "It would be absolutely impossible to write a history of the last 40 years of the British music scene without mentioning John Peel's name.

"He was one of those few people about whom you could truly say that the world would have been a much different place without him."

Damon Albarn of Blur said: "John Peel's patronage was for me, like countless other musicians, one of the most significant things that happened to us in our careers.

"The world is going to be a poorer place with his sudden departure."

Elvis Costello said: "I was terribly sad to hear the news, even though I hardly knew the man. Like many others, I felt I knew him from his voice on the radio.

"He was the contradiction of every bad thing you could say about radio. He had an open mind about music, whether he was bringing the listener the Incredible String Band or the Fall, Mike Hart or Echo and the Bunnymen, and countless bands that appeared only to be heard on his great shows."

Peter Hook of New Order told the ITV News Channel: "The music industry has lost a friend. He will live forever in our hearts and our minds.

"It always felt like he was your ally. Once he liked you, you were set. His music went beyond fashion, it was down to what he liked, and what he thought people like him would like.

"Everybody relied on him and trusted him and he never ever let you down. That was his strength, he was just a great guy, who played great music.''

James Dean Bradfield, lead singer of the Manic Street Preachers, paid tribute to Peel.

He told BBC News Online: "It was because of him I got to hear some of the most obscure but influential music I ever heard.

"He was a lifeline to hearing music I would never have heard otherwise. The service he provided was getting to hear music that you couldn't buy in Cardiff. He was a portal to a whole new world."

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